IJRET: International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology eISSN: 2319-1163 | pISSN: 2321-7308

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION IN

MANUFACTURING COMPANIES IN KENYA

George M. Nyori1, Julius M.Ogola2

1
Lecturer in Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Nairobi.
e-mail: george.makari @uonbi.ac.ke).
2
Associate professor of Engineering Management in the School of Engineering, University of Nairobi.

Abstract
Over the past few decades, manufacturing has evolved from a more labor-intensive set of mechanical processes to a sophisticated
set of information based technology processes. With the existence of various advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs), more
and more functions or jobs are performed by these machines instead of human labour. This study was undertaken in order to
research the extent of AMTs adoption in manufacturing companies in Kenya. In order to investigate a survey was conducted via
questionnaires that were sent to 183 selected AMT manufacturing companies in Kenya. 92 companies responded positively. All
the surveyed companies were found to have a measure of investment in at least two of the 14 types of AMTs investigated. In
general the company surveyed showed that the level of AMT adoption in Kenya is very low with investments levels at a mean of
2.057 and integration levels at a mean of 1.639 in a scale of 1-5.

Keywords—AMT adoption, AMT investments, AMT integration, companies in Kenya.

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1. INTRODUCTION
Manufacturing processesand systems used in design and
production are undergoing dramatic changes in response to
new customer needsand emerging technologies. Complexity,
dynamism and uncertainty have become dominant
characteristics of recent competition patterns which have
resulted in a demand-diversified market with more
multifaceted products [3].AMTappears to represent a perfect
interaction between technological potential and the
manufacturing challenges.The major benefits of Advanced
Manufacturing Technologies (AMTs) include faster
machine cycle, greater reliability, and reduced inventory,
saving on labor, greater flexibility and improved quality.
The use of AMTs permits the integration of the full
spectrum of production functions and manufacturing
processes with computer technologies [9]. With the use of
computer technology, AMTs make the data storing and
manipulation possible. Data held electronically can be
changed and distributed easily and cheaply between these
technologies. Companies therefore adopt these technologies
for a wide range of activities, ranging from scheduling to
quality inspection.
In the global business environment, technology is one of the
salient elements for remaining competitive [6]. With
globalization and free trade agreements, manufacturing
companies in Kenya are under increasing pressure to adopt
AMTs to simply survive the global competition.
Exposure to global competition reveals that manufacturing
companies in Kenya can no longer rely on simple
conversion of raw material into goods, but a process of
conversion constantly reinventing itself. Globally products
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are now made better, faster and cheaper and manufacturing
companies in Kenya cannot afford to do otherwise, else they
will produce goods that are not globally competitive.
2. ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
Different studies have adopted wider definitions of
AMTs.Reference 15 defined AMTs as a group of integrated
hardware and software based technologies. These
technologies are often referred to as intelligent or smart
manufacturing systems and often integrate computational
predictability within the production process [10]. Reference
[1] used the term AMT to describe a variety of technologies
that utilize computers to control, track, or monitor
manufacturing activities, either directly or indirectly.
Reference [13] regards AMTs as a wide variety of modern
computer based technologies in the manufacturing
environment. From these studies, it can be summarized that,
AMT suggests both soft and hard technologies which are
being employed to enhance manufacturing competencies.
This study adopts the narrower form of AMT as the use of
innovative technology to improve production processes and
it is this concept that is further explored within this study.
Computer aided design (CAD) is extensively used in the
design of tools and machinery used in manufacturing
components. It is used throughout the engineering process
from conceptual design and layout, through detailed
engineering and analysis of components to definition of
manufacturing methods [13]. Computer aided design
consists of CAD computer, computer peripherals, operations
software and user software. Computer-aided manufacturing
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(CAM) refers to the use of specialized computer programs
to direct and control manufacturing equipment. When CAD
information is translated into instructions for CAM, the
result of these two technologies is called CAD/CAM[5].
Computer aided engineering (CAE) software assists the
engineer while examining and testing design from a
structural or engineering point of view. When CAD is
integrated with CAE, it assists in the design and drawing
process for new products or modifies existing products. It
includes the direct graphic-interactive generation of two- or
three-dimensional data models with subsequent graphic
output, supporting activities such as calculations or
simulations [13].
The nature of manufacturing companies that deal with a
variety of products and the type of processes involved,
demand the technology advancement in material
requirements planning (MRP). The MRP is software
developed to determine material requirements for
manufacturing companies. The extension of MRP, which is
referred to as Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP II),
allows inventory data to be augmented by other resource
variables, such as labor hours, material cost (rather than
material quantity), or capital cost. In this case, MRP II is
integrated with other computer files that provide data to the
MRP system. An enterprise-wide resource planning tool,
which is called Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), is an
information system for identifying and planning the
enterprise-wide resources needed to take, make, ship and
account for customer orders, which is the extension of MRP
and MRPII [4].
Automated materials handling (AMH) systems improve the
efficiency of transportation, storage, and retrieval of
materials in and from warehouses. Automated storage and
retrieval systems (ASRS) provide for the automatic
placement and withdrawal of parts and products into and
from designated places. The AMH can take the form of
monorails, computerized conveyors, robots or automated
guided vehicles (AGVs). AGVs use embedded floor wires
to direct driverless vehicles to various locations in the plant,
delivering materials [2]. Industrial robots are substitutes for
many repetitive manual activities [2]. A robot is a
reprogrammable mechanical device that may have a few
electronic impulses stored on semiconductor chips that will
activate motors and switches. Robots are used to perform
repetitive tasks such as picking and placing devices, spot
welding, and painting. Robots are also widely used to carry
out quality inspection on incoming or final products. When
all the above technologies are integrated with system-wide
production control, inventory and other systems, full
computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) is achieved.
Given the wide range of computer-based technologies that
can be found in manufacturing companies, the holistic
technology perspective, which covers the whole range of
AMTs, is believed to be the research wave in manufacturing
technology, which is in line with the focus of this study.
Given the wide range of AMTs, this study adopts a similar
list as that put forward by reference [12]. However, the
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management practice element, Just-in-Time (JIT), is
excluded due to the fact that it is not a technology, but
instead more of a practice.
3. MANUFACTURING COMPANIES IN KENYA
The implementation of AMTs is expected to face challenges
in achieving its full potential in Kenya due to the current
companies’ capacity to assimilate technology.
Manufacturing industry is the backbone of industrialization
process in Kenya since it plays a crucial role in expanding
the country’s economy. Implementation of AMTs requires
manufacturing companies to adopt new ways of thinking
and doing work. Although Kenya’s manufacturing sector
enjoyed relatively rapid growth in the early post-
independence years (1970s), it has generally been sluggish
without dramatic shifts in performance. However, its
performance has been shaped by some notable
developments. The first of these is the carry forward of IS
policies that were implemented during colonial rule and
adopted by the independent government. The IS policy
served to ensure the availability of basic products in the
domestic market [7]. However, such products were
overpriced and the policy distorted the evolution of industry
by encouraging excess capacity and generalized inefficiency
that undermined the ability of Kenyan products to penetrate
to external markets. A change came when the government
eventually recognized the need to shift focus toward export
promotion in the mid-1980s [14]. However, immediate
efforts to encourage exports were overshadowed by
macroeconomic challenges and externally driven SAPs that
were implemented half-heartedly and opportunistically.
Kenya is currently the most important source of FDI in
Uganda and Rwanda. The region, particularly Uganda, is the
most important export destination for Kenyan products. A
distinctive feature of the manufacturing sector in Kenya is
the coexistence of the modern sector alongside a rapidly
expanding informal sector [7]. While the former comprises
mainly of small, medium and large enterprises, the informal
sector consists of semi-organized, unregulated, small-scale
activities that use low level technologies and employ few
people. A large proportion of industrial output is directed
towards satisfying basic needs, namely the provision of low-
income consumer goods and services [8].
While data on this sector is inadequate, it is one of the
fastest-growing sectors and a major source of employment
in Kenya. The small and medium-scale enterprises, which
form part of the formal economy, are characterized by some
degree of specialization. These enterprises manufacture a
wide range of items generally designed to meet the domestic
needs of low-income households although some are
exported to neighboring countries[7]. The structure of
Kenya’s manufacturing sector has undergone minimal
changes despite shifts in policies. Production is still largely
geared towards consumer goods. Thus, the study of AMT
adoption in manufacturing companies in Kenya is timely in
order to examine their current practice in view of their
technological adaptability. Indeed it is hoped that ideas and
suggestions based on the findings from this study can be
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made in order to help enhance the effectiveness of
manufacturing companies in developing countries, like
Kenya, and thus maximize their contribution to the
economy.
4. METHODOLOGY
The study set its boundaries around AMT investment and
integration of manufacturing companies in Kenya. As the
majority of the AMT usage is by manufacturers producing
nnnnndiscrete products, this study focused on the current
industry distributions of manufacturing companies in Kenya
listed under Kenya association of manufacturers[8].Samples
were taken from eight manufacturing sub-sectors which
produce discrete products, covering the whole range of the
industry. The eight sub-sectors include Food, beverage and
animal feeds industry, Construction and material
industry,Chemical and Pharmaceuticals industry, Plastics,
packaging and stationery industry, Power generation and
electrical/electronic industry, Fabricated metals industry,
Textiles, apparel, leather and foot ware and Automobile and
parts industry. This is representative of the entire population
of the companies in Kenya.
Advanced manufacturing technology results from
substantive advancement in the current state of production
of materials and products. These advancements include
improvements in manufacturing processes and systems,
which are often spurred by breakthroughs in basic science
and engineering disciplines. The study investigated 14
AMTs in 5 domains based on their functionality. These
domains included Product Design and Engineering
Technologies (PDETs); Production Planning Technologies
(PPTs); Material Handling Technologies (MHTs); Assembly
and Machining Technologies (AsMTs) and Integrated
Manufacturing Technologies (IMTs)
The AMT adoption was operationalized in terms of the level
of investment in the technology and its level of integration.
In level of investment companies were asked to indicate the
amount of investment the company had in the individual
technology, on a likert scale of 1-5, where 1 indicated little
investment, 2 indicated some investments, 3 indicated
moderate investment, 4 indicated substantial investment and
5 indicated heavy investment. The level of integration was
determine by ascertaining on whether the piece of
technology is connected to another appliance or system
within the department, company or the enterprise, or just
a piece of stand-alone technology. Companies were asked to
indicate the level of integration, on a likert scale of 1-5,
where 1 indicated no integration, 2 indicated limited
integration, 3 indicated moderate integration, 4 indicated full
integration and 5 indicated extended integration.
The two dimensions were treated with equal weight.
However with regard to dependency integration depended
on investment as illustrate in the course of our earlier
discussion and definition of them. With regard to weighting,
there is no available evidence to suggest that any one of the
dimensions carries more weight than the other. In the
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eISSN: 2319-1163 | pISSN: 2321-7308
absence of such evidence we preferred not to prejudge the
matter but instead wait to see if the data suggest
reformulation of the suggested scale.
Gaining admission to industrial organizations for the
purposes of sociological research in Kenya is difficult and
the author, dependent to a large extent on the efficacy of
personal contact networks for the purposes of getting
information. A letter of introduction accompanying the
questionnaire was addressed to the Production
Manager/Managing Director of the company. 183
questionnaires were either delivered or posted to all the
identified AMT companies.
As the AMT plants were located at different places,
geographically ranging from 5 to 700 km, data collection
process took nearly 7 months. 101 companies showed
positive response and data from these companies were
collected for analysis. The respondents were required to fill
up their job title and the duration in holding the position in
the company. This information was deemed important in
order to find out the credibility of the informant. Out of the
101 respondents whose data was collected the credibility of
9, representing about 9%, did not meet the standard required
and so were rejected in the analysis. The analysis is
therefore based on 92 companies. A brief look at the
companies showed that all our sub-sectors were represented.
5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
As the focal point of our study was on AMT manufacturing
companies, data is presented in a disaggregated form by
sub-sector. This allows better understanding about sub-
sector differences in terms of the structure and composition
of the different sectors that constitute in an aggregate. The
collected data on the AMT manufacturing sub-sectors in
Kenya provide a basis for understanding why companies in
different sub-sectors might act differently in terms of
adopting different AMT technologies.
Majority of the respondents (42.5%) were from top
management levels, i.e. directors, managing directors, chief
executive officers or chairmen, and approximately 40%
of the respondents were directly responsible for
manufacturing or operations or production issues of their
companies. 17.5% of respondents were holding non-
manufacturing-related positions such as administration
managers (3), company secretaries (3), marketing managers
(2), commercial managers (2), purchasing managers (2),
human resource managers (2) and finance managers (2).
Numerous elements of visited company profile were
collected using the designed instrument. This included the
sub-sector of the industry; the year of establishment and the
company size which was assessed by capital invested and
the number of full-time equivalent employees, where one
part-time equals to half a full-time employee. The mean
workforce number of companies surveyed was found to be
low, at around 50 employees, it is no surprise that the top
management level were in-charge of their manufacturing
function and involved in decision making in manufacturing
issues. At a glance, we can infer that the sampled
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information collected from the survey was highly credible
and with good understanding of informants, with the
average duration in their respective positions as 9 years.
Majority of the respondents were from food, beverage and
animal feeds industry, which accounted for 31.5%, followed
by the construction and material industry at 14.1%, chemical
and pharmaceuticals industry at 12.0%, plastics, packaging
and stationery industry at 12.0% and power generation and
electrical/electronic industry at 10.9%. Other respondents
represent a small fraction like fabricated metals industry at
7.6%, textiles, apparel, leather and foot ware industry at
6.5% and automobile and parts industry at 5.4%.
5.1 Age of Industry Stock
Fig 1 Company age by Sub-Sector
5.2. Product Design and Engineering Technologies
Manufacturing companies invested in various product
design and engineering technologies. These technologies
included CAD, CAE, CAMand GT. Companies used these
technologies to assist them in designing and testing a
product, controlling of manufacturing machinery and also
for part classifications and coding systems. Fig. 2 shows the
mean investment score of for each PDET. The results show
that the most common PDET among the companies
surveyed is CAD, with a mean investment score of 3.25;
followed by CAM, with mean score of 2.75. The results
show that the least investment is GT with mean scor of 1.25.
Fig 2 Investments in Product Design and Engineering
Technologies
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Majority of the companies surveyed were mature companies
that have existed in the manufacturing scene for some time,
with average being around 40 years. The fact that the
median company age is around 30 years shows that across
all the eight broad manufacturing sub-sectors there are some
very old companies that are in existence in each of the sub-
sectors. 28 percent of respondents have been trading for
more than 50 years, with almost half of them in the food,
beverage and animal feeds.There was only a small fraction
of young companies, 12%, which had existed for less than
10 years. Power generation, electrical/electronic industry
exhibited the highest mean and median age, 60 and 40.
Fabricated metal industry was the youngest industry with
mean age of 28. The results are shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 shows that across all sub-sectors investment in CAD
takes the most important position while GT is worth the
least. Fabricated metal industry relies on CAD the most,
followed by automobile and parts industry. Similarly, CAE
is relatively more important in fabricated metal industry and
least important in chemical and pharmaceutical industry. For
CAM investments, automobile and parts industry registered
the highest mean score, 4.25, while packaging and stationery
registered the lowest, 1.25. Power generation, electrical and
electronic industry registered the highest mean score in GT.
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Fig 3 Investments of product design and engineering technologies by Sub-Sector

Comparison of the mean score of PDET investments with
the employment band, as shown in Fig. 4, reveals that all
surveyed companies invested the most in CAD followed by
CAM then CAE and GT was the least. However in small
industries investments of CAE and GT are very low. This
indicates that these two technologies are not important for
small industries. In general, the importance of these
technologies increases with company size. Larger
companies seem to depend on these technologies for their
operations.
Fig. 4 Investments of PDETs by size
Overall, the results show that the levels of integration in
PDETs are limited, since none of the scores is over 2.5 (half
way). The mean score of PDET integration by Sub-Sector
shows that the levels of integration are low, with a mean
score of less than 2.5. In terms of the individual PDET,
almost 90 percent of the respondents invested moderately in
CAD, however the majority of them had their CAD either as
stand-alone meaning no integration, or only integrated
within the department.
It is the same scenario for CAE. 66% of companies surveyed
had little to moderate integrations. Majority of the
companies that invested in CAE, 80% had the technology
either with limited or no integration. Few companies
surveyed invested in GT (with mean score around 2), and
only 20% of those that had invested in the technology stated
to have limited integration. The rest had not integrated the
technology.
Fig. 5 compares mean score of PDETs with Sub-Sectors.
The results shows that among the invested technologies in
these domain automobile and parts industry had the highest
mean score of 2.1875 followed by fabricated metal industry
that had a mean score of 2.125. Construction and material
industry had the least score of 1.375.

Fig.5 Integration of Product Design and Engineering Technologies by Sub-Sector

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The most integrated piece of PDETs is CAM. Table I shows 5.3 Production Planning Technologies
CAM investment and integration cross tabulation. 23
companies among the 29 that indicated little investment did Manufacturing companies invested invarious PPTs, such
not integrate the technology into the system. 4 of them as MRP, MRP II andERP to assist them in planning,
indicated limited integration and the remaining 2 showed scheduling and controlling of material and resource
moderate integration. 3 companies indicated heavy requirements for the production of various products. ERP
investment and extended the integration to suppliers or/and assisted companies in covering a wider scope by integrating
customers. the operations throughout the companies and also facilitates
global integration.
The whole manufacturing industry seems to have agreement
TABLE I
on the investments in PPTs. As shown in Fig. 6, surveyed
CAM INVESTMENT AND INTEGRATION CROSS TABULATION
companies’ investments in MRP, MRP II and ERP are
CAM Integration Total generally moderate. The ranking of investments in the three
none limited moderate Fully Extended technologies, from highest to lowest were MRP, MRPII and
little 23 4 2 0 0 29 ERP. The low mean scores is indeed quite an interesting
CAM some 6 4 3 1 0 14 discovery as it shows that surveyed companies are still very
Investme moderate 3 9 4 5 0 21 much at the early version of production planning tool.
nt substantial 2 1 5 4 0 17
Heavy 1 2 3 2 3 11
Total 35 20 17 12 3 92

Fig.6 Investment in Production Planning Technologies by Sub-Sectors

Investment of PPTs among the surveyed companies, based

on their size, reveals that the larger the company the more
likely they will invest in PPTs. Therefore,as shown in Fig
7,the scale of investment grew with size of company.

Fig.8 Integration of PPTs by Company Size

By Sub-Sector, the results shows that the level of integration

Fig.7 Investments in PPTs with Company Size
The majority of companies who invested in PPTs had
limited integration.As shown from Fig.8,the study reveals
that larger companies integrated their PPTs more than
smaller companies.
ofPPTs is limited, with a mean score of 2, indicating that
integration is only within the department. Fig.9 shows that
power generation electrical and electronic industry had
slightly more integration as compared to other
manufacturing industry. Chemical and pharmaceutical
industry had the least integration across all PPTs.

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Fig.9 Integration of Production Planning Technologies by Sub-Sector

In terms of the individual PPTs, MRP is the most invested TABLE III
and also the most integrated, as shown in the Table II. The MRPII INVESTMENT AND INTEGRATION CROSS TABULATION
figures show that there is a positive relationship between the MRP II Integration Total
level of MRP investment and the extent of the integration.
Out of the 27 Companies that showed little investment in none limited Fully Extended
MRP, 22 indicated no integration, 4 indicated limited little 34 2 1 0 37
integration and 1 indicated full integration. The result shows
that companies that have moderate and heavy investment in some 8 5 2 0 15
MRP, tend to integrate this piece of PPT within the MRP II
moderate 3 4 9 0 16
company or extend it to suppliers and or customers. Investment
substantial 2 2 11 1 16
TABLE II
Heavy 0 0 5 3 8
MRP INVESTMENT AND INTEGRATION CROSS TABULATION
Total 47 13 28 4 92
MRP Integration Total
none limited Fully Extended 5.4 Material Handling Technologies
little 22 4 1 0 27 Material handling technologies (MHTs) are AMTs used by
some 5 5 1 0 11 manufacturing companies to facilitate the handling of
MRP material in manufacturing operations. ASRS use computers
moderate 3 7 10 1 21
Investment to direct automatic loaders to pick and place items for
substantial 2 3 14 1 20 production processes or storage by automatic high-lift
trucks. Companies employ transport automation by using
Heavy 1 0 8 4 13
AGVs to move materials to and from value adding
Total 33 19 34 6 92 operations.

As shown in Table III, of those who invested in some levels
of MRP II, only 10 % invested heavily and majority of them
(94%) had no integration or little integration. In total,
almost half of those companies that invested in MRP II did
not integrate it in the company but operated it as stand-
alone.
The results also show that ERP is less popular among the
companies surveyed. The number of companies that
invested in and integrated ERP is significantly low.
Companies either made little to moderate investment with
none to limited integration.
The study shows that on average companies surveyed had
little investments in MHTs. Generally, companies invested
more in ASRS in comparison with AGVs. Fig 10 shows that
construction and material industry ranks the highest in
MHTs investments. Fabricated metal industry had the
lowest investment in ASRS with a mean score of 1.375.
AGVs investment is slightly lower than ASRS investment.
The leading industry, construction and material industry had
a mean score of 2.25. The least investment in AGVs is in
fabricated metal industry with almost negligible investment,
i.e. a mean score of 1.25.

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Fig 8 Investment of Material Handling Technologies by Sub-Sector

Larger companies tend to invest slightly more in MHTs as
compared to smaller companies. The mean score of
investment of MHTs for large companies is between 2.75 to
3.5 while small companies have a mean score of 1.5. Fig 11
shows mean Score of MHTs investment by company size
Fig 12 shows that material handling technology is either in
stand-alone mode or only linked within the department.
When comparing the level of integration of MHTs by type
of Sub-Sector, all industries have almost the same level of
integration. Power generation electrical and electronics
industry integrated its automated storage and retrieval
systems almost within the department (mean score of 1.75).
However, the other industries showed power integration of
their MHTs.

Larger and older companies tend to integrate their ASRSs

further than younger and small companies. The AGVs is a
stand-alone piece of technology in many companies. The
conclusion we can draw from the study is that both the
level of investments and integration of material handling
technologies in the companies surveyed are very limited.
Fig 9 Investment of Fig MHTs by Company Size

Fig 10 Integration of Material Handling Technologies by Sub-Sector

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IJRET: International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology
5.5 Assembly and Machining Technologies
The study examined the level of investment and integration
of 3 types of assembly and machining technologies
(AsMTs); computer-aided quality control system (CAQCS),
robotics and numerical control machines (NC/CNC/DNC).
These assembly and machining technologies are used to
perform repetitive functions and work without permanent
alteration of the equipment. Computer-aided quality control
system is used to perform quality inspection on incoming or
final materials, robotics are used to carry out various
operations like handling, process or assembly tasks, whilst
numerical control machines exist for almost all types of
machining, like turning machines, boring and milling
machine, horizontal boring machines and machining centers.
Fig 11 Investment in Assembly and Machinery Technologies by Sub-Sector
Fig 14 shows that regardless of the size of the company,
most investments are made in NC/CNC/DNC, followed by
CAQCs, and last come robotics technology. Worth noting is
that medium sized companies made substantial investments
in NC/CNC/DNC, significantly more than companies of the
other sizes. For robotics and CAQCs, investment in these
technologies grew with company size.
Fig 12 Investment in AsMTs by company size
From the data it was also found that levels of integration of
AsMTs increased with company size, except that large sized
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eISSN: 2319-1163 | pISSN: 2321-7308
Generally, industries invested the most in numerical control
machines technologies. Fig 13 shows that food, beverage
and animal feed industry, fabricated metal industry,
automobile and parts industry and the chemical and
pharmaceutical industry invested more moderately in
NC/CNC/DNC than the other industries, with a mean score
of about 3. The investment in numerical control machines
for other industries is less than moderate, the least being
plastic, packaging and stationery with a mean score of 2.
Investments in CAQCS are limited, except for food,
beverage and animal feed industry and fabricated metal
industry. Companies invested least in robotics technology
with a mean score of 1.75.
companies made the most integration in NC/CNC/DNC
technologies. This result is contrary to the situation of
investments analyzed by size where medium sized
companies were leading. For computer-aided quality control
system and robotics technologies, surveyed companies made
slightly less integration. Even so, overall integration for
either type of technology increased with size. The study
reveals that integration of AsMTs increases with business
years.
Levels of integration of AsMTs are limited. Fig 15 shows
that the highest to the lowest mean scores of integrations are
numerical control machines, computer-aided quality control
system, and robotics technology. Integration of CAQCS is
on the highest level in the food, beverage and animal feed
industry. Power generation, electrical/electronic made the
most integration in robotics as compared to other industries.
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Fig 13 Integration of Assembly and Machinery Technologies by sub-sector

Table IV shows that further investigation of CAQCS reveals Table VI reveals thatNC/CNC/DCN is the most invested
that most companies that invested in CAQCS fall into little by the respondent companies, with a total of 77 % of
investment with no integration combination. The majority of respondent companies, having some level of investments.
surveyed companies that invested in CAQCS had limited Except for companies who made no integration, the largest
investment in their CAQCS and none or limited integration. group appears in the combination of substantial investment
There were 2 companies that substantially invested and fully and limited integration (9), followed by heavy investment
integrated this technology. One company substantially and moderate integration (8). Worth noticing is that the
invested and extended CAQCS integration to supplier or number of companies who made heavy investment and
customers. One company invested heavily and made full extended integration to suppliers or customers are 4 while
integration. the number of companies who made heavy investment and
TABLE IV fully integration are 6.
CAQCS INVESTMENT AND INTEGRATION CROSS TABULATION TABLE VI:
CAQCS Integration Total NC/CNC/DNC INVESTMENT AND INTEGRATION CROSS
none limited moderate Fully Extended TABULATION
little 35 4 2 0 0 36 NC/CNC/DCN Integration Total
some 20 8 2 1 0 31 none limited moderate Fully Extended
CAQCS
moderate 3 4 3 3 1 14 little 21 1 0 0 0 22
Investment
substantial 2 2 2 2 1 9 some 5 4 0 0 0 09
CAQCS
Heavy 0 0 1 1 0 2 moderate 5 6 2 1 0 14
Investment
Total 55 18 10 7 2 92 substantial 3 9 5 4 1 22
Heavy 3 4 8 6 4 25
Table V shows the distribution of respondents in terms of Total 37 24 15 11 5 92
the level of investment in robotics and its level of
integration. It is obvious that there are a limited number of
companies investing and integrating in robotics technology. F. Integrated Manufacturing Technologies
Among companies who provided valid answers in this
As the name of the technology group suggests, technologies
section, 60% of them made little investment and no
within this group are already integrated in some forms, for
integration, with less than 25% of them making any
example, FMC or FMS consist of two or more NC/CNC
integration.
machines which are interconnected by handling devices and
a transport system. The difference between FMS and FMC
TABLE V is that FMC is capable of single path acceptance of raw
ROBOTICS INVESTMENT AND INTEGRATION CROSS materials and single path delivery of a finished product,
TABULATION whilst FMS is capable of multiple paths, and may also be
Robotic Integration Total comprised of two or more FMCs linked in series or parallel.
none limited moderate Fully Extended Another technology within this subgroup is ClM, which
little 56 2 0 0 0 58 incorporates all elements in the manufacturing process from
some 8 2 1 0 0 11 product design to distribution. It links the company beyond
Robotic departments by integrating computer systems, thus islands
moderate 5 3 0 0 0 8
Investment of computer application in the companies are integrated.
substantial 1 5 1 1 0 8
Heavy 1 2 2 1 1 6
Total 71 14 4 2 1 92
Fig 16 shows that the mean score of investments in
FMC/FMS by surveyed companies is slightly higher than

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ClM. FMS/FMC registered a mean score of 2.05 as For most Sub-Sectors investments in FMC/FMS are slightly
compared to CIM that registered a mean score of 1.725. It more than ClM.
is the same scenario when compared by their Sub-Sectors.

Fig 14 Investments in Integrated Manufacturing Technologies by Sub-Sector

Fig 17 shows that surveyed companies which are less than
10 years old invested the least in both FMC/FMS and CIM.
Investments by companies in the age band of 31-40yrs are
among the highest level. For the other age bands,
investments in integrated manufacturing technologies
decrease as history of business grow. Companies in the
range of 21-30 years and 41 – 50 years are among those who
invested almost moderately on integrated manufacturing
technologies.
As the name suggests, one would have thought that
integrated manufacturing technologies would be fully or
extensively integrated within the company or to include
their supply chain. However, the level of integration, as
provided by the surveyed companies in Fig 18, is rather low,
both at mean score of 1.75 for FMC/FMS, and 1.5 for CIM
which means that both IMTs have limited integration. This
suggests that the technology is only limited to the
department. Automobile and parts industry registered the
highest level of integration for FMC/FMS at a mean score of
2.25 while construction and material industry and food,
beverage and animal feed industry registered the lowest at a
mean score of 1.5. The highest score for CIM was registered
by automobile and parts industry with a mean score of 2.
The rest of the sub-sectors registered low integration
ranging from a mean score of 1.75 to a mean score of 1.25

Fig 15 Investment of IMTs by age bands

Fig 16 Integration of Integrated Manufacturing Technologies by Sub-Sectors

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Fig 19 shows that surveyed companies in age bands 31-40

and 41-50 years made more integration in IMTs than TABLE VIII: FMC/FMS INVESTMENT AND INTEGRATION CROSS
TABULATION
companies in the rest of the other age bands. Moreover,
companies in these two age groups made more integration in FMC/FMS Integration Total
CIM than FMC/FMS which is contrary to the other age none limited moderate Fully Extended
bands. little 33 4 1 0 0 38
FMC/ some 6 5 1 0 0 12
FMS
moderate 2 8 4 2 0 16
Investm
ent substantial 1 5 5 4 1 17
Heavy 0 2 3 5 0 8
Total 42 24 14 11 1 92

5.6 Generation of AMTs Scores

For the purpose of summary and analysis, the aggregate
AMTs investment and integration of surveyed companies
generated ten AMTs investment and integration scores,
Fig 17 Integration of IMTs by age band which are product design and engineering technology
investment score (PDETinv) and integration score
(PDETint), logistics related technology investment score
Table VII shows cross tabulations of CIM investment and
(PPTinv) and integration score (PPTint), material handling
integration. A few companies made CIM integration. 46 out
technology investment score (MHTinv) and integration
of a total of 92 companies surveyed indicated that they made
CIM integration. It is observed that companies investment score (MHTint), assembly and machinery technology
little of these technology and having no integration form the investment score (AsMTinv) and integration score
largest group (40), followed by moderate investment with (AsMTint), and integrated manufacturing technology
limited integration (8). There are seven companies which investment score (IMTinv) and integration score (IMTint).
did some investment but with limited integration. 5 Below lists the formulae of each investment and integration
companies did moderate investment but integrated score for each AMT:-
moderately. One company made heavy investment and 1. 𝑃𝐷𝐸𝑇𝑖𝑛𝑣 =
1
𝐶𝐴𝐷𝑖𝑛𝑣 + 𝐶𝐴𝐸𝑖𝑛𝑣 + 𝐺𝑇𝑖𝑛𝑣 + 𝐶𝐴𝑀𝑖𝑛𝑣
extended CIM integration to suppliers or customers. 4
1
2. 𝑃𝐷𝐸𝑇𝑖𝑛𝑡 = 𝐶𝐴𝐷𝑖𝑛𝑡 + 𝐶𝐴𝐸𝑖𝑛𝑡 + 𝐺𝑇𝑖𝑛𝑣 + 𝐶𝐴𝑀𝑖𝑛𝑡
4
TABLE VII 1
3. 𝑃𝑃𝑇𝑖𝑛𝑣 = 𝑀𝑅𝑃𝑖𝑛𝑣 + 𝑀𝑅𝑃𝐼𝐼𝑖𝑛𝑣 + 𝐸𝑅𝑃𝑖𝑛𝑣
3
CIM INVESTMENT AND INTEGRATION CROSS TABULATION
1
CIM Integration Total 4. 𝑃𝑃𝑇𝑖𝑛𝑡 = 𝑀𝑅𝑃𝑖𝑛𝑡 + 𝑀𝑅𝑃𝐼𝐼𝑖𝑛𝑡 + 𝐸𝑅𝑃𝑖𝑛𝑡
3
1
none limited moderate Fully Extended 5. 𝑀𝐻𝑇𝑖𝑛𝑣 = 𝐴𝑆𝑅𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑣 + 𝐴𝐺𝑉𝑖𝑛𝑣
2
little 40 2 2 1 1 46 1
6. 𝑀𝐻𝑇𝑖𝑛𝑡 = 𝐴𝑆𝑅𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑡 + 𝐴𝐺𝑉𝑖𝑛𝑡
2
some 4 7 1 1 0 13 1
CIM 7. 𝐴𝑠𝑀𝑇𝑖𝑛𝑣 = 𝐶𝐴𝑄𝐶𝑖𝑛𝑣 + 𝑅𝑂𝐵𝑂𝑇𝐼𝐶𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑣 + 𝑁𝐶/𝐶𝑁𝐶/
3
Investme moderate 2 8 5 2 1 18 𝐷𝐶𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑣
nt 1
substantial 0 4 3 2 2 11 8. 𝐴𝑠𝑀𝑇𝑖𝑛𝑡 = 𝐶𝐴𝑄𝐶𝑖𝑛𝑡 + 𝑅𝑂𝐵𝑂𝑇𝐼𝐶𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑡 + 𝑁𝐶/𝐶𝑁𝐶/
3
Heavy 0 0 2 1 1 4 𝐷𝐶𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑡
1
Total 46 21 13 7 5 92 9. 𝐼𝑀𝑇𝑖𝑛𝑣 = 𝐹𝑀𝐶/𝐹𝑀𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑣 + 𝐶𝐼𝑀𝑖𝑛𝑣
2
1
10. 𝐼𝑀𝑇𝑖𝑛𝑡 = 𝐹𝑀𝐶/𝐹𝑀𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑡 + 𝐶𝐼𝑀𝑖𝑛𝑡
Table VIII shows cross tabulation of FMC/FMS investment 2

and integration. One company made substantial investment
and extended integration to supplier/customers. Five
companies made heavy investment and fully integrated
FMC/FMS.
Table IX shows the summary of AMT score per sub-sector
based on the five sub-groupings. From the Table, it shows
that most investments are made in AsMTs, which are just
around the moderate level (mean score 2.43). PDETs ranked
second with a mean score of 2.32, followed by PPTs (mean
score of 1.869). Investment in MHTs was the lowest, at the
mean score of 1.786. For most sub-sectors, the ranking of
the scale of investment in different AMTs varied from sub-
sector to sub-sector.

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TABLE IX
AMTS SCORE PER SUB-SECTOR
PDET inv PDETint PPTinv PPTint MHT inv MHT int AsMT inv AsMT int IMT inv IMT int AMT score
Construction and
1.56 1.38 2.13 2.03 2.50 1.23 2.58 1.50 1.63 1.38 1.79
material Industry
Food/beverage
/animal/feeds 2.81 2.19 1.87 1.75 1.60 1.20 2.42 1.58 2.13 2.13 1.97
Industry
Textiles/apparel/
leather/foot ware 2.25 1.88 2.08 1.75 1.80 1.05 1.83 1.83 1.88 1.75 1.81
Industry
Chemical/
Pharmaceuticals 1.81 1.63 1.53 1.25 2.10 1.38 2.67 2.08 1.88 1.75 1.81
Industry
Automobile/ parts
2.31 1.69 1.60 1.43 1.60 1.30 3.00 2.17 2.13 1.38 1.86
industry
Fabricated metals
3.25 2.13 1.40 1.50 1.31 1.35 2.75 1.75 1.50 1.63 1.86
industry
Power /electrical
2.94 1.50 2.40 2.08 1.75 1.58 2.42 2.17 2.05 1.38 2.03
/electronics Industry
Plastics/packaging/
1.63 1.44 1.93 1.83 1.63 1.20 1.75 1.75 1.90 1.63 1.67
stationery industry
Average 2.32 1.73 1.87 1.70 1.79 1.28 2.42 1.85 1.88 1.63

Level of integration of AMTs invested is low. However it is
worth noting that the ranking of mean score is very similar
to the order of AMTs investments. Although integration of
AsMTs was the highest, its mean score is as low as 1.854,
which indicates that it is only limitedly integrated. Similarly,
MHTs were the least invested by the respondents registering
a mean score of 1.284. It is noted that the ranking of mean
score in integration is very similar to the order of AMTs
investments except for construction and material industry
which registered the lowest integration at a mean score of
1.504. However the mean AMT index follows the same path
with AMT investment.
The score for AMT for each sub-sector or individual
company was calculated as follows;
1 AMT in these manufacturing companies has been in stages
𝐴𝑀𝑇𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑥 = 𝐴𝑀𝑇𝑖𝑛𝑣 + 𝐴𝑀𝑇𝑖𝑛𝑡
2
The ranking of the scale of investment in AMTs shows that
power generation, electrical and electronic scored the
highest, 2.311 followed by food, beverage and animal feed
industry at 2.164. Plastic, packaging and stationery scored
the lowest at 1.668
1 CONCLUSIONS
In general, the sample of the companies surveyed showed
that the level of AMT adoption in Kenya is very low with
investments levels at a mean of 2.057 and integration levels
at a mean of 1.639 in a scale of 1-5. The study shows that no
particular sub-sector can claim to be dominant in all the
AMTs. The largest sub-sector in numbers among the
surveyed companies, food, beverage and animal feed
industry have the highest level of investment and integration
in IMTs but the lowest level of integration in MHTs. Power
generation, electrical/electronics, the largest sub-sector in
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Volume: 04 Issue: 10 | Oct-2015, Available @ http://www.ijret.org
size, had the highest level of investment and integration in
PPTs while plastics, packaging and stationery, the smallest
sub-sector in size, had the lowest level of investment and
integration in AsMTs. Fabricated metal industry had the
highest investment in PDETs but food, beverage and animal
feeds had the highest integration in the same AMT. Again
construction and material industry had the highest
investment in MHT but Power generation, electrical and
electronics led in integrating the same AMT. Automobile
parts industry had the highest level of investment and
integration of AsMTs.
The majority of the companies being surveyed have been
established for 30 to 50 years, which shows that these
companies are mature in their life cycle. Being in their
mature life cycle, these companies are unlikely to change
their investment patterns drastically. Implementation of
from stand- alone to slowly moving to integrated systems.
This can be proven with their inclination to have the lowest
intention of introducing new product lines and new product
models among other counterparts. Interestingly, companies
younger than 10 years have the strongest motivation to
provide customized products. 28% of surveyed companies
have been trading for more than 50 years, with almost half
of them in the food, beverage and animal feeds. Compared
with others these companies invest and integrate the least in
PPTs, MHTs, AsMTs and IMTs.
The study shows that smaller plants use an average of 3
different AMTs while larger plants use an average of 6
different AMTs. Given this evidence, we argue that the
superior performance of larger plants is partly due to the
increased use of AMTs by such plants. We also argue that,
while size has indirect effect on AMT adoption [11] it also
enhances the AMT adoption.
Investments of PPTs are still at an early stage of the material
requirements planning tool, because they invest in MRP the
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IJRET: International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology
most and ERP the least. However, it is noted that the
younger a company is the less it invests in MRP. The survey
also shows that investment in PPT largely depends on the
size of a company. According to the study, the level of
integration in PPT increases with the age of the technology.
Since MRP is the earliest version of PPT and has been
applied for the longest time, the level of integration of MRP
is the highest in the surveyed companies. Similarly, as the
latest version of PPT, ERP is integrated the least. Compared
with companies from other industries, Power generation,
electrical/electronic companies tend to invest more in PPT.
Also, we find that companies older than 50 years tend to
invest and integrate less PPT than younger companies.
Material handling technology is the least invested and
integrated technology in this study. This technology is used
by manufacturing companies to facilitate the handling of
material in manufacturing operations. From any point of
view, MHT gets the least attention. Companies barely invest
and integrate MHT in their companies no matter which
industry they belong to and how old their businesses are.
However, the investment and integration of MHT is noticed
to be highly related with company size. It is perhaps that
companies are using MHT to deal with their vast material
handling to support their mass production facilities.
Assembly and machining technologies are most widely
applied for frequently repetitive functions. NC/CNC/DNC
is the most widely applied AsMT. In particular, it is most
applied in medium size companies. Moreover, investment in
robotics and NC/CNC/DNC technologies increase with age
bands. Automobile and parts industry have higher
investment and integration of AsMT with levels increasing
with company size. Integrated manufacturing technologies
do not differ much across the Sub-Sectors. However, large
companies tend to have higher investment in IMT due to
their strong financial strength. In addition, except for the
oldest and youngest age bands, investment of FMC/FMS
and CIM, decrease as their age band grows. The older a
company is, the less it invests in IMT. Integration of IMT is
at low level for both FMC/FMS and CIM and it does not
differ much for each sub-sector. IMT is second least
invested and integrated among the five major AMT types.
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